1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to wall beds, and in particular, to a mounting apparatus for such wall beds which has a safety jamming device that prevents injury to anyone in the bed if the wall bed mounting accidentally breaks free from the wall or floor to which it is secured.
2. Background Discussion:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,382 discloses typical mounting apparatus used for wall beds. This apparatus includes a mounting frame anchored securely to a wall or floor and a plate attached to the bed base of the wall bed. The mounting frame and plate are connected by an hinge assembly to allow the wall bed to be moved from a closed vertical position to an open, generally horizontal position. In order to assist the user, a counter-balancing spring assembly is connected by a suitable linkage assembly between the plate and mounting frame, so that the weight of the wall bed is counter-balanced during opening and closing. The linkage assembly includes a counter-balancing mechanism such as extension springs, which are in extension when the wall bed is open. These extension springs are connected to the mounting frame.
The problem with such type of counter-balancing mechanism is that the occupants of the bed could be seriously injured if the mounting frame breaks loose from its normally securely anchored positioned. In such event, for example, the extension springs would pull the mounting frame rapidly towards the headboard, striking the back of the headboard and causing it to slam down onto the heads of the occupants of the wall bed. There has been one or more instances where this has occurred with wall beds of conventional design, resulting in serious head injuries to occupants of the wall bed.